Q&A: Freestylin' with EA Sports' Peter Moore

If there's one thing EA Sports president Peter Moore knows more than English football, it's how to evangelize for his present employer. GameSpot caught up with Moore last night at the EA Sports Season Opener in San Francisco, and the loquacious gaming exec offered his take on many of the challenges and opportunities his division is currently facing.

One of EA Sports' biggest pushes in 2008 was its new Freestyle brand, which offered a more-casual, arcade-style gaming experience over the game maker's more-traditional simulation fare. According to Moore, the Freestyle brand presented a number of lessons for EA Sports, especially on the Wii.

"I think we're learning," he said. "And while I would still again do things like FaceBreaker and...Celebrity Sports Showdown, we would probably, in retrospect, do them slightly differently. But I don't in any way regret trying." Moore also noted that currently "there are no games on the portfolio right now," but he expressed optimism over the label's future.

Moore also addressed Nintendo's upcoming Wii MotionPlus add-on, which EA Sports plans to fully support with the launch of Grand Slam Tennis and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 on June 16. Recognizing that Nintendo has yet to officially announce a launch date for the peripheral, Moore said the two games will still be playable, even if Nintendo hasn't yet brought the MotionPlus add-on to market.

"When Nintendo is ready to ship the MotionPlus attachment, the games are ready to go," he said. "You plug it in. The game recognizes the attachment, and you're ready to go. Regardless of when they're shipping, we'll be shipping a game that is compatible."

For the full interview, in which Moore also offers his take on the future of organized motorsports games at the publisher and the increasing prevalence of sports-game DLC, check out the GameSpot Sports Beat column.